The Mediating Role of Flow in the Relationship between Dimensions of Perfectionism with Teaching Motivation and Job Satisfaction in Primary School Teachers

Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and paying attention to teachers' motivation and job satisfaction, in addition to improving their job results, also affects students' academic achievement. Therefore, identifying the factors affecting teachers' job satisfaction and motivation is an essential issue for researchers in this field. According to the research literature, personality traits significantly impact motivation and job satisfaction, and perfectionism, a personality trait, has considerable potential in explaining these constructs. Stoeber and Otto (2006) proposed two opposing types of perfectionism, which were reiterated in this study using the similar concepts of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Some emotional and motivational mechanisms involved in perfectionism, such as striving for perfection and mastering tasks in perfectionistic efforts, as well as fear of evaluation in perfectionistic concerns, have made the relationship between flow and perfectionism particularly interesting. Flow refers to a state in which an activity is performed by a person not because of external reinforcements or factors, but because of the activity itself. To enter a state of flow, there must be a match between the challenge presented and the individual's skills for that challenge; therefore, there is a semantic connection between flow and motivation. Additionally, since flow is a psychological state characterized by maximum optimism and satisfaction experienced during an activity, equating to complete immersion in work, it seems that flow can predict job satisfaction. Given this context, the job satisfaction and teaching motivation of teachers are crucial for the quality of education, improving educational outcomes, and the academic progress of students. Understanding the predictive factors of these two variables requires a broad and deep perspective. On the other hand, bivariate and linear relationships do not provide profound insights; therefore, it is necessary to investigate mediating variables using structural equation modeling to explore indirect relationships in this field. The general goal of this study is to investigate the mediating role of flow in the relationship between perfectionism and teaching motivation, as well as job satisfaction.

The present study investigates the structural relationships between variables using a correlational research design and the structural equation modeling method. The research population includes all primary school teachers in Yazd and Ashkazar cities who worked during the academic year 2020-2021. The minimum sample size for this study was determined using Cochran's formula, yielding 331 participants, while 374 individuals were selected through random cluster sampling. In this approach, 54 primary schools (23 schools from District One of Yazd, 21 schools from District Two of Yazd, and 10 schools from Ashkazar city) were randomly selected, and nearly all teachers from these schools participated in the study. The inclusion criteria were informed consent from the subjects, being a primary school teacher in Yazd and Ashkazar cities, and having access to virtual space, while unwillingness to participate was the exclusion criterion. The questionnaires were administered online through the Porsline website, ensuring that respondents could not leave any item unanswered. Ethical considerations included informing participants about the purpose of the study, ensuring the confidentiality of information, and providing complete freedom to participate or not. The participants’ average teaching experience was 11 years, with a standard deviation of 8.42 years. The sample consisted of 319 female participants (85%) and 55 male participants (15%).

The research model showed a good fit with the collected data, indicating that the proposed relationships between variables are supported by empirical evidence. The results of structural equation modeling indicated a relatively good fit for the model and demonstrated that flow mediated the relationship between the dimensions of perfectionism and job satisfaction. Additionally, flow mediated the association between the dimensions of perfectionism and teaching motivation. The results also revealed a significant relationship between the dimensions of perfectionism and flow. Regarding the relationship between perfectionism dimensions and teaching motivation, only perfectionistic concerns negatively and directly predicted teaching motivation. Furthermore, the dimensions of perfectionism did not directly and significantly predict job satisfaction. Overall, the results indicate that flow acts as a critical pathway through which the dimensions of perfectionism influence job satisfaction and teaching motivation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a causal model regarding the mediating role of flow in the relationship between perfectionism dimensions, job satisfaction, and teaching motivation through structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that none of the dimensions of perfectionism could directly and significantly predict job satisfaction. Given that most participants in this study were women, it is possible that, according to the culture of Iran, women direct their perfectionism toward issues other than work-related matters, which may explain the lack of a direct relationship between these two variables. Additionally, the modeling results showed that perfectionistic concerns directly and negatively predict teaching motivation, while perfectionistic strivings do not directly predict teaching motivation. Based on the present findings, perfectionistic strivings positively predict flow, whereas perfectionistic concerns negatively predict flow, highlighting the significant mediating role of flow in the relationship between the dimensions of perfectionism and teaching motivation. In explaining these findings, it can be stated that the constant effort to achieve high standards—one of the indicators of perfectionistic strivings—contributes to the direct positive link between perfectionistic strivings and flow, as this is crucial for both constructs. Conversely, individuals with perfectionistic concerns are often preoccupied with others' evaluations of themselves, which contradicts the self-reflection and immersion in work necessary to experience flow. The positive relationship between flow and teaching motivation aligns with the theoretical foundations of flow and self-determination theory, suggesting that individuals enjoy the balance between skills and task demands and gradually set more challenging goals to maintain this state. By increasing the level of challenge, they expand their existing skills, and as individuals recognize their skill growth, they experience intrinsic motivation. According to the structural model of the research, the mediating role of flow is significant in the relationship between the dimensions of perfectionism and job satisfaction. In justifying this result, it can be argued that when a person experiences flow, they are cognitively efficient, deeply engaged, motivated, and experience a high level of pleasure and happiness. Thus, it seems logical that a person who experiences flow while engaging in an activity has a positive evaluation of that work and feels satisfaction. Given that this study employed a correlational design, causal inferences cannot be drawn. It is recommended that the model of this study be examined among teachers from different cultural contexts to enhance the generalizability of the results. These changes enhance clarity and readability while maintaining the original meaning and structure of your abstract.